9 Dangerous Foods for the Soul
Imagine feeding your motorcycles junk food: substandard oil, fuel or brake fluid. Most of you don’t do that. You give your motorcycles the highest quality ingredients possible and are rewarded with performance, safety, reliability and longevity.
Yet when it comes to your spirit, you feed it junk food and expect high performance.
Unlike a motorcycle, human beings don’t come with an owner’s manual that specifies the grade, weight and designation of vital ingredients. You have to rely on your own judgment.
And therein lies the problem. It’s hard to recognize junk food.
9 Dangerous Foods for the Soul
Movies, books, music, video games, television
Anything with content containing violence, horror, hatred, intolerance and the like falls into this category. Although it’s disguised as entertainment, how can any good come of violence and hatred?
Instead, watch TV and movies, read books, listen to music that is motivational, respectful, humorous, educational or offers constructive advice. Anything that increases contributes to making a positive difference.
People
Those who consistently complain, gossip, criticize, are opinionated and intolerant are toxic.
Sure everyone has moments, but I want to surround myself with the kind of person who has qualities I want, who sees the good in others and reinforces kindness.
Intentions
Acting or speaking from a place of fear, guilt or self-interest is immediately transparent. More importantly, it imprints that message on your subconscious to reinforce who you are. Send the right message.
Act from a place of love, gratitude and service. You’ll feel better for it and it encourages others to do the same.
Diet
For eons, cultures have been aware of the effects of food on your mind, body and spirit. Today, you ingest food that is highly processed, engineered, preserved and filled with chemicals–so much so that your body barely recognizes it as food.
Living on a diet that is nutritious, balanced, predominantly vegetables, organic and raw as much as possible promotes health and longevity. Your body houses your spirit so you owe it to yourself to create as hospitable an environment as possible.
Pain killers
Inappropriate use of drugs and alcohol only dulls the pain, the mind and your spirit.
As painful as some experiences are, they contain life lessons. The best way to ease the pain is to be kind to yourself, take time to understand its cause, deal with it and keep moving.
Worry, guilt, anger, blame, jealousy, envy…
All of these emotions originate from fear and create resistance to spiritual growth. They generate clutter, stress and anxiety and cause you to do silly things, which in turn drain your energy.
Giving these emotions power make things much more difficult than they need to be and prevents you from growing. Acknowledging their existence, thanking them for trying to protect you and then parking them is a much healthier alternative.
Control
There’s an adage that there are two plans for each day: your plan and Spirit’s plan. They’re not always the same. Much as you think you’re in control of your life, there’s a power far greater than you at work.
You all have free choice to make the decisions you think are best for you.but must have trust, faith and confidence that when things don’t go as you planned, they are still in your best interests.
Inactivity, isolation
While time alone is healthy, you were not meant to live in isolation. Humans are social creatures and seek like-minded spirits.
When you find your tribe, you discover a common bond from which you not only derive strength as an individual but also gather that strength to increase the cohesiveness of the community as a whole. Socializing, exercising, laughing and playing all nourish the inner child that exists in each of you!
Rushing through life
There are so many demands on your time, energy and resources, not the least of which are the demands you place on yourself. You lose sight of whom and what’s important and where your actions are taking you.
Instead, set aside quiet time each day to meditate, practice yoga or just be. Even a few minutes is better than nothing and helps you maintain balance, stay grounded and allows space for creative expression.
Making wise, informed decisions on what you allow into or on your body, or into your mind keeps you vibrant, dynamic and beautiful. Inside and out!
Author, writer, and student Liz Jansen combines her artistic mediums to create stories that inspire readers to embark on their own journey of self-discovery.